"Learning Crisis Classroom” Installation at the United Nations Headquarters in New York to Draw Attention to the Urgent Need to Transform Education Systems Worldwide

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 15: : In this handout image provided by UNICEF and released at 00:01 GMT on 16 September 2022, UNICEF unveils the "Learning Crisis Classroom" to draw attention to the scale of children failing to learn critical skills at the United Nations Headquarters on September 15, 2022 in New York City . In the installation, a third of the desks are made of wood and are fully functioning with an UNICEF backpack placed on the school chair behind it, representing the one-third of 10-year-olds globally estimated to be able to read and understand a simple written story – the minimum marker for reading comprehension. The remaining two-thirds of desks are almost invisible and made of clear material to signify the 64 per cent of 10-year-olds estimated to be unable to read and understand a simple written story. The installation will be displayed at the visitor’s entrance of United Nations Headquarters in New York between 16 and 26 September. Ahead of the Transforming Education Summit, UNICEF warns of low levels of learning, with only a third of 10-year-olds globally estimated to be able to read and understand a simple written story, down from half pre-pandemic. Prolonged school closures and a lack of access to quality learning during the COVID-19 pandemic exposed and exacerbated a pre-existing learning crisis. “Under resourced schools, underpaid and underqualified teachers, over-crowded classrooms and archaic curricula are undermining our children’s ability to reach their full potential,” said Catherine Russell UNICEF Executive Director. “The trajectory of our education systems is, by definition, the trajectory of our future. We need to reverse current trendlines or face the consequences of failing to educate an entire generation. Low levels of learning today mean less opportunity tomorrow.” (Photo by Chris Farber/UNICEF via Getty Images)